Close grip safety razor



Dec. 29, 1964 s. M. BASEEL CLOSE GRIP SAFETY RAZOR Filed Aug. 9, 1962.

United States Patent 3,162,944 CLOSE GRE SAFETY RAZOR Sam M. Baseel,6205 Loughborough Ave., St. Louis, Mo. Filed Aug. 9, 1962, Ser. No.215,902 6 Claims. (Cl. 39-605) The invention relates to safety razors ofthe familiar type utilizing double edge, thin, flexible blades clampedbetween cooperating head members and the invention comprises thefeatures of construction which adapts such a razor to be held andmanipulated readily by a user who is shaving a person other thanhimself.

The objects of the invention are to combine the advantages of a safetyrazor of the type referred to and an ordinary open razor of the typegenerally used by a barber, particularly in providing for holding therazor by grasping the blade area directly between the thumb and fingersof the user; to render the razor readily adjustable for right or lefthands and to facilitate use of opposite edges of a double blade and forapplication to irregular surfaces of the skin of the person beingshaved; and to avoid interference with the shaving operation by theelongated rigid handle usually present in safety razors of the typereferred to.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a hand of a user with the razor in operating position, aportion of the razor, by which it is held, being also shown in brokenlines in a dilferent position.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the razor shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the razor opened up butalso showing the razor in closed position in broken lines.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a razor embodying a modification of the formshown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of a razor embodying another modification of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the razor shown in FIG. 5.

The razor including its blade holding parts are of the familiar typementioned, having a head or body 1 with side edges 2 forming guardsspaced from side support element 3. Movable relative to the head is ablade carrier comprising an elongated upstanding central element 5 withupstanding transverse end bars 6. A bladeholding structure includesarcuate caps 7, 8 each having lugs 9 pivoted at 10 to bars 6. Centralelement 5 includes a threaded stem 11 slidable in head 1 by manualrotation tion shown in FIG. 1, distorting a thin flexible blade 15 andclamping it in operating position between elements 7, 8 and 3. Cap 8 isprovided with a pair of upstanding ears 17 at opposite ends projectingupwardly of the cap 8 and over the adjacent portion of cap 7, when therazor is closed.

Ears 17 are apertured to form bearings for an elongated pivot 19extending lengthwise of the head and positioned on the transverse centerline 18 of the head when the caps are closed. Between car 17 a fingerholding piece 21 is crimped at one side edge to form an elongated sleevehearing about pivot 19 so as to swing thereon in an arc transversely ofthe length of the razor blade between the two positions indicated inFIG. 1. The swinging side edge of finger piece 21 is crimped to form apair of shoulders 22, 23 facing toward the pivot.

When the razor is closed, the finger piece may be swung to either sideof the razor so as to overlie either cap 7, 8 and the associated guard2. In this position the razor may be grsaped as shown in FIG. 1 andreadily manipulated by the user to be moved over a surface to be shaved.The thumb of the user may be applied directly to the nut-like piece 12or to the underface of the razor head and nearer to a guard 2.

The shouldered portion of the finger piece is extended lengthwise of theblade beyond the end of the same and of the head, and one, two, three orfour fingers may engage the uppermost shoulder 22, thus providing for asecure grasp of the razor.

FIG. 4 illustrates another form of the invention particularly adaptedfor a generally similar razor in which a removable one-piece rigidclamping cap 31 has a central upstanding car 32 at each end journaling apivot 33 on which is swivelled a finger piece 34 corresponding to thatpreviously described.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate another form of the invention in which theblade side support elements 41 and clamping cap structure 44, 45correspond to that shown in FIGS. 1-3 but a single car 47 projects fromcap 44 at the center of the latter and a pivot 49 extends verticallythrough car 47 and a finger piece 51 has a central projecting portion 52receiving pivot 49. The joint between the pivot and the finger piece isloose so that the finger piece may tilt vertically and swing, in a planegenerally parallel to the plane of the cap structure, from one side ofthe razor to the other side of the razor, as indicated in broken linesin FIG. 6.

In each form of the invention the usual elongated handle rigid with thehead is eliminated and the razor is grasped effectively by thumb andfingers at opposite sides of the shallow blade clamping elements andclosely adjacent to the blade itself, as is characteristic of the use ofthe old-fashioned straight blade razor in general use by barbers.

Although the razor disclosed herein is particularly adapted for use bybarbers, it may be used readily by others including a person shavinghimself.

The details of construction may be varied other than as shown Withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inven tion and the exclusive use ofmodifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination in a safety razor comprising a blade support structurewith spaced side elements for engaging the spaced margins of a separableblade,

a cap structure with spaced side elements overlying said support sideelements,

means for drawing said support structure and cap structure toward eachother to clamp the margins of a blade between said elements,

a flat surface finger piece provided with a pivot extending along oneedge of the finger piece and journaled on one of said structuressubstantially intermediate the side elements of the latter,

said finger piece being movable about said pivot to a position over andin contact with either side element of said cap structure and projectingbeyond the adjacent cutting edge of a blade to accommodate gripping ofan upper face of the finger piece and the lower face of the supportstructure between opposed fingers and thumb of a user, respectively, butleaving the opposite cutting edge of the blade projecting away from theopposite side elements of the support structure and cap structure forshaving, said finger piece being reversible on said pivot to provide foruse of either cutting edge of the blade.

2. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the swinging edge ofthe finger piece is olfset transversely of the flat surface of theremainder of the finger piece and forms a shoulder extending lengthwiseof the finger piece and facing the pivot for engagement by the tips ofthe users fingers.

3. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the 3 v pivot on thecap structure extends substantially parallel with the edges of thesupport structure and the finger piece has an elongated sleeve bearingclosely engaging the pivot.

4. A combination as described in claim 1 in which the pivot is disposedvertically at the center of the cap structure and the finger piecerotates in anarc substantially parallel to the Width of the capstructure in moving from contact with one edge of the support to contactwith the Other edge of the support.

- 5. In a safety razor comprising a body with elongated elements forminga support for a separable blade,

' blade holding caps having individual pivots respectively at oppositeend portions of said support With the pivotaxes parallel to saidelements, the caps being movable about their respective pivots toproject upwardly from said support, to accommodate application of ablade'to the support, and'to overlie said support and clamp a bladethereto, 7 7 means drawing said support and caps together, 7 a fingerpiece having one edge pivoted along the movable edge of one of said capsand tiltable thereon in an arc transverse to the length of said elementsand caps to overlie a selected one of said marginal portions of saidsupport and project a finger-engageable part beyond the adjacent edge ofsaid support mar ginal portion.

6. In a safety razor, a shallow blade support structure withconvex-concave upper and lower faces and similarly shaped cooperatingcap structure,- 1 i a tightening device with a manually operable elementat the concave face of the support structure for drawing the twostructures together to clamp a blade between them, i a

a finger holding piece with pivots on said cap structure to swing aboutan are extending transversely of said structure and to a position ateither side of said structures to project beyond the latter,

said finger piece being provided near its swinging edge With upstandingand depending shoulders facing to- Ward its pivotsfor engagement by thefingers of a user in opposition to a thumb underlying said supportstructure. V

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS731,090

I Muros Nov. 10,

1. IN COMBINATION IN A SAFETY RAZOR COMPRISING A BLADE SUPPORT STRUCTUREWITH SPACED SIDE ELEMENTS FOR ENGAGING THE SPACED MARGINS OF A SEPARABLEBLADE, A CAP STRUCTURE WITH SPACED SIDE ELEMENTS OVERLYING SAID SUPPORTSIDE ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR DRAWING SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND CAPSTRUCTURE TOWARD EACH OTHER TO CLAMP THE MARGINS OF A BLADE BETWEEN SAIDELEMENTS, A FLAT SURFACE FINGER PIECE PROVIDED WITH A PIVOT EXTENDINGALONG ONE EDGE OF THE FINGER PIECE AND JOURNALED ON ONE OF SAIDSTRUCTURES SUBSTANTIALLY INTERMEDIATE THE SIDE ELEMENTS OF THE LATTER,SAID FINGER PIECE BEING MOVABLE ABOUT SAID PIVOT TO A POSITION OVER ANDIN CONTACT WITH EITHER SIDE ELEMENT OF SAID CAP STRUCTURE AND PROJECTINGBEYOND THE ADJACENT CUTTING EDGE OF A BLADE TO ACCOMMODATE GRIPPING OFAN UPPER FACE OF THE FINGER PIECE AND THE LOWER FACE OF THE SUPPORTSTRUCTURE BETWEEN OPPOSED FINGERS AND THUMB OF A USER, RESPECTIVELY, BUTLEAVING THE OPPOSITE CUTTING EDGE OF THE BLADE PROJECTING AWAY FROM THEOPPOSITE SIDE ELEMENTS OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND CAP STRUCTURE FORSHAVING, SAID FINGER PIECE BEING REVERSIBLE ON SAID PIVOT TO PROVIDE FORUSE OF EITHER CUTTING EDGE OF THE BLADE.